9 killed as protesters try to storm US Consulate in Pakistan's Karachi city
Karachi (PTI): At least nine persons were killed and several injured on Sunday after clashes broke out between police and protesters as they tried to storm the gates of the US Consulate in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi.
The clashes broke out following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday in a joint US-Israeli air strike.
Edhi Welfare Organisation's information wing confirmed that nine persons have been killed and several injured near Mai Kolachi Road during the firing and unrest.
They have been transferred to the Civil Hospital Trauma Centre, The Express Tribune reported.
At least thirty-two people have been injured and brought in and are receiving medical treatment, authorities at the Trauma Centre said. The identification of the bodies is currently underway, they added.
A large number of demonstrators were gathered around the consulate, and police opened fire on them while they were attempting to break into the US Consulate.
Sindh Minister for Interior Ziaul Hasan Langar has requested immediate details from the Additional IG Karachi, stressing that "No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands."
He called for enhanced security at sensitive installations. He added that alternative routes should be determined to maintain traffic flow during the protests.
"Law enforcement agencies are fully alert and monitoring the situation closely," the minister added.
The minister concluded that action will be taken against those disrupting law and order in accordance with the law.
Shia organisations had announced a march towards the US Consulate in Karachi in protest of the Khamenei’s death and voiced their intention to march towards the mission.
Edhi Information confirmed that several injured were shifted to Civil Hospital after reports of firing. A heavy police contingent remained deployed on MT Khan Road.
Police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, while protesters responded with stone-throwing, according to reports.
Traffic police said routes leading to Numaish Chowrangi had been closed and alternative routes were being provided to motorists.
Meanwhile, protests have also been reported in Islamabad and Lahore on Sunday following the assassination of Khamenei.
In Islamabad, Tehreek-e-Jafaria Pakistan announced a protest and a planned encirclement of the US Embassy. Authorities have responded by sealing the Red Zone and deploying additional personnel on all roads leading to it, the report added.
Security checkpoints have been intensified, with every vehicle and motorcycle being thoroughly inspected. Armoured vehicles and extra forces have also been deployed. The Islamabad Police urged citizens not to travel towards the Red Zone.
Section 144 has been enforced in Islamabad, said the district administration. Under Section 144, all types of gatherings will be considered illegal.
The district administration urged citizens not to participate in any gatherings or assemblies. It warned that strict legal action would be taken in the event of any protest, demonstration, or gathering.
In Lahore, protests have continued outside the Press Club against Israel and the United States’ actions against Iran. Security at the US Consulate has been tightened, and fresh police units have arrived to reinforce the area.
Protesters began a sit-in, carrying placards bearing the image of Iran's Supreme Leader. Anti-US slogans were reportedly raised, while the Anti-Riot Force maintained a strong security presence at the protest site.
The United States and Israel said an air strike killed Khamenei as part of what they described as the most ambitious series of attacks on Iran in decades. Iranian state media confirmed the 86-year-old leader’s death on Saturday.
US President Donald Trump said the air strikes on Iranian targets were aimed at ending a decades-long threat from Iran and ensuring it could not develop a nuclear weapon, as he sought to justify a risky move that appeared to go against his professed opposition to American involvement in complex overseas conflicts.
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Pak cancels nearly 184 international flights to West Asia after Iran attack
Karachi (PTI): At least 184 international flights of different airlines from Pakistan to the West Asia have been cancelled since Saturday owing to the escalating situation after the US and Israel attacked Iran.
A spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat, Sharjah, Riyadh, Jeddah from Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Sialkot, Peshawar, Faisalabad had all been cancelled.
“The flights were on the schedule of different airlines,” Hafeez Khan said.
International flights in the West Asia have all been badly disrupted or suspended after the closure of the Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports which serve as a major hub for connecting flights to Europe, USA, Canada, South America etc.
Airline authorities have suspended all air traffic in the region because of the increase in missile and drone attacks by Iran on the US bases in the region.
The spokesperson said at least 40 flights were cancelled from Islamabad and another 46 from Lahore.
The Pakistan airspace remains open for domestic flights, he said.
The attack on Iran by the US and Israel disrupted flights across the West Asia and beyond as countries around the region closed their airspace and key airports that connect Europe, Africa and the West to Asia were directly hit by strikes.
